A universal design of restructured dimer antigens: Development of a superior vaccine against the paramyxovirus in transgenic rice.

The development of vaccines, which induce effective immune responses while ensuring safety and affordability, remains a substantial challenge. In this study, we proposed a vaccine model of a restructured "head-to-tail" dimer to efficiently stimulate B cell response. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using this model to develop a paramyxovirus vaccine through a low-cost rice endosperm expression system. Crystal structure and small-angle X-ray scattering data showed that the restructured hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) formed tetramers with fully exposed quadruple receptor binding domains and neutralizing epitopes. In comparison with the original HN antigen and three traditional commercial whole virus vaccines, the restructured HN facilitated critical epitope exposure and initiated a faster and more potent immune response. Two-dose immunization with 0.5 µg of the restructured antigen (equivalent to one-127th of a rice grain) and one-dose with 5 µg completely protected chickens against a lethal challenge of the virus. These results demonstrate that the restructured HN from transgenic rice seeds is safe, effective, low-dose useful, and inexpensive. We provide a plant platform and a simple restructured model for highly effective vaccine development.

Different effects of CO2 laser and estrogen treatment on vaginal mucosa microbiota and function in genitourinary syndrome of menopause patients.

AIM: To characterize the effects of CO2 laser treatment and estrogen treatment on vaginal microbiota in patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with genitourinary syndrome were divided into the estrogen group, the CO2 laser group, and the control group. The control group did not receive any treatment. Vaginal mucosa was collected after 3 and 12 months of treatment. The former was used for 16S rRNA sequencing, and the latter was used for pathological evaluation. Vaginal health and voiding function were assessed using the vaginal health index (VHI) scale and the UDI-6 scale at 3 and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: The results showed that both treatments reduced alpha diversity in the vaginal flora. Additionally, the abundance of 65 genera differed significantly between the treatment and control groups, with an increase in potentially beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus, IheB3_7, Mycoplasma urealyticum, and Streptococcus. In addition, the VHI and UDI-6 scores improved in both treatment groups compared to the control group after 3 months. Whereas VHI and UDI-6 scores were close to baseline in the estrogen group, and remained significantly improved in the CO2 laser group after 12 months. Pathological results showed that both methods improved the vaginal health status of patients with GSM after 12 months of treatment. However, the CO2 group exhibited a more significant increase in type III collagen. CONCLUSIONS: Both CO2 laser and estrogen therapies can regulate the vaginal flora imbalance of GSM and improve the corresponding symptoms. However, the long-term efficacy of CO2 laser therapy is superior compared to estrogen therapy.

Understanding the mechanism of safety attitude mitigates the turnover intention novice nurses via the person-centred method: A theory-driven, deductive cross-sectional study.

AIM: Examine profiles of safety attitudes among novices and explore whether profiles moderate the occupational identity-turnover pathway. BACKGROUND: Novice nurses face unique challenges in adopting positive safety attitudes, which influence outcomes like turnover. However, past research found only average levels of safety attitudes among novices, ignoring possible heterogeneity. Exploring whether meaningful subgroups exist based on safety perspectives and factors shaping them can provide insights to improve safety attitudes and retention. DESIGN: This study was designed as a cross-sectional investigation. METHODS: Data were collected through the distribution of questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were first conducted, followed by latent profile analysis. We then carried out univariate analysis and ordinal multinomial regression to explore the factors shaping the different profiles. Finally, we examine the moderating effect of nurses' safety attitudes with different latent profiles on the relationship between professional identification and turnover intention. RESULTS: A total of 816 novice nurses were included. Three profiles were identified: high, moderate and low safety attitudes - higher attitudes were associated with lower turnover intention. Interest in nursing, health status, identity and turnover predicted profile membership. Moderate profile had a stronger buffering effect on the identity-turnover link versus high profile. CONCLUSION: Multiple safety attitude profiles exist among novice nurses. Certain factors like interest in nursing and occupational identity are associated with more positive safety profiles. Targeting these factors could potentially improve safety attitudes and reduce turnover among novice nurses. The moderating effects suggest that tailored interventions matching specific subgroups may maximize impact. IMPACT: Assessing subgroup attitudes enables tailored training for novices' specific needs, nurturing continuous improvement. Supporting early career development and role identity may strengthen retention intentions.

A behavioural driving model of adherence to home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise among patients with chronic heart failure: A mixed-methods study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a behavioural driving model for adherence to home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise in patients with chronic heart failure, and to explain the potential driving mechanism of social support on exercise adherence. BACKGROUND: Despite the benefits of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise, adherence among patients with chronic heart failure remains suboptimal. Several factors contributing to adherence have been confirmed; however, the specific pathway mechanisms by which these factors impact exercise adherence have not been thoroughly explored. DESIGN: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted in this study. METHODS: A total of 226 patients with chronic heart failure were recruited using convenience sampling. Quantitative data were collected using a series of self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to verify multiple pathways. Subsequently, 12 patients with chronic heart failure were drawn from the quantitative stage. The interview data were thematically analysed. This study followed the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) guidelines (Appendix S1). RESULTS: Perceived social support had a direct positive predictive effect on exercise adherence. Importantly, exercise self-efficacy and exercise fear played a chain-mediating role between perceived social support and exercise adherence. As a result of the qualitative phase, scale, tightness and homogeneity of social support networks emerged as potential drivers of the effectiveness of social support on exercise adherence. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a potential pathway mechanism for social support to improve adherence to home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercises. Social support network plays a crucial role in the effect of social support on exercise adherence. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: To enhance exercise adherence in home-based cardiac rehabilitation for patients with chronic heart failure, establishing a social support network is recommended. This strategy has the potential to promote exercise self-efficacy and alleviate exercise fear. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: None.

A new classification for emergency critically ill patients and analysis of their adverse events during intrahospital transport: A cluster analysis.

BACKGROUND: Critical patients may experience various adverse events during transportation within hospitals. Therefore, quickly evaluating and classifying patients before transporting them from the emergency department and focusing on managing high-risk patients are critical. At present, no unified classification method exists; all the current approaches are subjective. AIMS: To ensure transportation safety, we conducted a cluster analysis of critically ill patients transferred from the emergency department to the intensive care unit. STUDY DESIGN: Single-centre cohort study. This study was conducted at a comprehensive first-class teaching hospital in Beijing. Convenience sampling and continuous enrolment were employed. We collected data from 1 January 2019, to 31 December 2021. All patients were transferred from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, and cluster analysis was conducted using five variables. RESULTS: A total of 584 patients were grouped into three clusters. Cluster 1 (high systolic blood pressure group) included 208 (35.6%) patients. Cluster 2 (high heart rate and low blood oxygen group) included 55 (9.4%) patients. Cluster 3 (normal group) included the remaining 321 (55%) patients. The oxygen saturation levels of all the patients were lower after transport, and the proportion of adverse events (61.8%) was the highest in Cluster 2 (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study utilized data on five important vital signs from a cluster analysis to explore possible patient classifications and provide a reference for ensuring transportation safety. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Before transferring patients, we should classify them and implement targeted care. Changes in blood oxygen levels in all patients should be considered, with a focus on the occurrence of adverse events during transportation among patients with high heart rates and low blood oxygen levels.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of band 3 impairs the storage quality of suspended red blood cells in the Tibetan high-altitude polycythemia population.

Due to environmental hypoxia on the Tibetan Plateau, local residents often exhibit a compensative increase in hemoglobin concentration to maintain the body's oxygen supply. However, increases in hemoglobin and hematocrit (Hct) pose a serious challenge to the quality of stored suspended red blood cells (SRBCs) prepared from the blood of high-hemoglobin populations, especially populations at high altitude with polycythemia in Tibet. To explore the difference in storage quality of SRBCs prepared from plateau residents with a high hemoglobin concentration, blood donors were recruited from Tibet (> 3600 m) and Chengdu (≈ 500 m) and divided into a high-altitude control (HAC) group, high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC) group and lowland control (LLC) group according to their hemoglobin concentration and altitude of residence. The extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), pyruvate kinase (PK) activity and band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation were analyzed on the day of blood collection. Then, whole-blood samples were processed into SRBCs, and storage quality parameters were analyzed aseptically on days 1, 14, 21 and 35 of storage. Overall, we found that tyrosine 21 phosphorylation activated glycolysis by releasing glycolytic enzymes from the cytosolic domain of band 3, thus increasing glucose consumption and lactate accumulation during storage, in the HAPC group. In addition, band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation impaired erythrocyte deformability, accompanied by the highest hemolysis rate in the HAPC group, during storage. We believe that these results will stimulate new ideas to further optimize current additive solutions for the high-hemoglobin population in Tibet and reveal new therapeutic targets for the treatment of HAPC populations.

Critical miRNAs in regulating pulmonary hypertension: A focus on Signaling pathways and therapeutic Targets.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is complex disease as a result of obstructive pulmonary arterial remodeling, which in turn results in elevated pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and subsequent right ventricular heart failure, eventually leading to premature death. However, there is still a lack of a diagnostic blood-based biomarker and therapeutic target for PH. Because of the difficulty of diagnosis, new and more easily accessible prevention and treatment strategy are being explored. New target and diagnosis biomarkers should also allow for early diagnosis. In biology, miRNAs are short endogenous RNA molecules that are not coding. It is known that miRNAs can regulate gene expression and affect a variety of biological processes. Besides, miRNAs have been proven to be a crucial factor in PH pathogenesis. miRNAs have various effects on pulmonary vascular remodeling and are expressed differentially in various pulmonary vascular cells. Nowadays, it has been shown to be critical in the functions of different miRNAs in the pathogenesis of PH. Therefore, clarifying the mechanism of miRNAs regulating pulmonary vascular remodeling is of great importance to explore new therapeutic targets of PH and improve the survival qualify and time of patients. This review is focused on the role, mechanism, and potential therapeutic targets of miRNAs in PH and puts forward possible clinical treatment strategies.

Electrochemical immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of human papillomaviruse type 16 L1 protein based on Ag@AuNPs-GO/SPA.

Human papillomaviruse type 16 (HPV16) is a high-risk serotype. As the main protective antigen protein, L1 protein is also the target protein for diagnosis. A simple label free electrochemical immunosensor (ECIS) was fabricated for ultrasensitive detection of HPV16 L1 protein in this work. Quasi-spherical Ag@Au core-shell nanoparticles on graphene oxide (Ag@AuNPs-GO) was developed as current response amplifier and characterized by UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Staphylococcal protein A was decorated on the modified electrode and utilized to immobilized the Fc portion of the monoclonal antibody specific for HPV16 L1 protein. Cyclic Voltammetry, Differential Pulse Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy were used to verify the electrochemical performance and interfacial kinetic property. The increased concentration of HPV16 L1 protein led to slow electron transport and linearly decreased differential pulse voltammetry peak current with a detection limit of 0.002 ng mL-1 and a wide linear relationship in the range of 0.005-400 ng mL-1at a regression coefficient (R2) of 0.9948. Furthermore, this ECIS demonstrated acceptable accuracy with good reproducibility, stability and selectivity, suggesting a promising immunological strategy for HPV typing and early screening.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new patient -reported outcome measure for psoriasis self-management efficacy: the self-management efficacy questionnaire among patients with psoriasis (SMEQ-PSO).

BACKGROUND: It is significant for the healthy outcome of patients with psoriasis (PSO) to improve their self-management efficacy. A standardized assessment tool, however, was lacking. Therefore, we aimed to develop a self-management efficacy questionnaire for patients with PSO (SMEQ-PSO) and evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: A cross-sectional study developing clinical evaluation tool was conducted from October 2021 to August 2022. In the process of developing SMEQ-PSO, three phases were involved: item generation, item evaluation, and psychometric evaluation. RESULTS: The SMEQ-PSO with five dimensions and 28 items was developed. The questionnaire's content validity index was 0.976. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a five-factor structure (self-efficacy of psychosocial adaptation, self-efficacy of daily life management, self-efficacy of skin management, self-efficacy of disease knowledge management and self-efficacy of disease treatment management) that explained 62.039% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated appropriate fit of the five-factor model. The overall Cronbach'α coefficient was 0.930, the test-retest reliability was 0.768 and the split half reliability coefficients was 0.952. CONCLUSIONS: The 28-item SMEQ-PSO is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to assess the self-management efficacy among patients with PSO and provide personalized interventions based on their individual circumstances to improve their health outcomes.

Cold stress causes liver damage by inducing ferroptosis through the p38 MAPK/Drp1 pathway.

Acute extreme cold exposure impairs human health and even causes hypothermia which threatens human life. Liver, as a hub in metabolism and thermogenesis, is vital for cold acclimatization. Although accumulating evidence has suggested that cold exposure can cause liver damage, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the role and underlying mechanisms of ferroptosis in cold stress-induced liver damage. To evaluate the role of ferroptosis in cold stress-induced liver damage, rats were pretreated with ferroptosis inhibitor liproxstatin-1 (Lip-1) before exposed to -10 °C for 8 h. Core body temperature was recorded. The levels of ferroptosis-related indicators were examined with the corresponding assay kits or by western blotting. Hepatic pathological changes were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and ultrastructural observation. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured to assess liver function. Rats were also pretreated with p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor SB203580 or Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) inhibitor Mdivi-1 to determine the underlying mechanisms. We found that Lip-1 inhibited ferroptosis, attenuated hepatic pathological damages and blocked the increased ALT and AST levels in cold-exposed rats. Moreover, Mdivi-1 inhibited mitochondrial fission and suppressed ferroptosis. Furthermore, SB203580 and Mdivi-1 administration alleviated cold stress-induced liver injury. Our results suggested that cold stress caused liver damage partially by inducing ferroptosis through the p38 MAPK/Drp1 pathway. These findings might provide an effective preventive and therapeutic target for cold stress-induced liver injury.

Development and validation of the advance care planning practice preference scale for clinical nurses.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to develop the advance care planning (ACP) practice preference scale and validate its psychometric properties among clinical nurses. DESIGN: An instrument development and validation study was completed in the following three phases: (a) the generation and revision of the item, (b) the preliminary exploration and evaluation of the item and (c) the psychometric evaluation of the scale. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to develop the indicator system. A total of 360 clinical nurses (for item analysis) and 688 clinical nurses (for psychometric evaluation) were recruited. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to evaluate the construct validity. The reliability was explored by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The study was conducted from October 2021 to January 2022. RESULTS: A total of 24 items were finally retained by the item analysis from the initial 78-item pool. In the exploratory factor analysis, the six-factor model explained 79.933% of the total variation. After limiting to three factors, 59.305% of the total variation was explained. Above factor models supported by the confirmatory factor analysis were consistent with the theoretically structure, and the fitting indexes were all satisfactory. Also, the findings showed appropriate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. CONCLUSIONS: ACP practice preference scale presents satisfactory psychometric properties among clinical nurses and can be adopted to evaluate the propensity of clinical nurses to practice ACP. IMPACT: ACP practice preference scale can be adopted to understand the training needs of clinical nurses on ACP clinical practice. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Clinical nurses participated in the pilot testing and validation of ACP practice preference scale.

Electrochemical immunosensor nanoarchitectonics with the Ag-rGO nanocomposites for the detection of receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a grave threat to human life and health, it is essential to develop an efficient and sensitive detection method to identify infected individuals. This study described an electrode platform immunosensor to detect SARS-CoV-2-specific spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein based on a bare gold electrode modified with Ag-rGO nanocomposites and the biotin-streptavidin interaction system. The Ag-rGO nanocomposites was obtained by chemical synthesis and characterized by electrochemistry and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to record the electrochemical signals in the electrode modification. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) results showed that the limit of detection (LOD) of the immunosensor was 7.2 fg mL-1 and the linear dynamic detection range was 0.015 ~ 158.5 pg mL-1. Furthermore, this sensitive immunosensor accurately detected RBD in artificial saliva with favorable stability, specificity, and reproducibility, indicating that it has the potential to be used as a practical method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Establishment of a simplified score for predicting risk during intrahospital transport of critical patients: A prospective cohort study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To establish a simple score that enables nurses to quickly, conveniently and accurately identify patients whose condition may change during intrahospital transport. BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients may experience various complications during intrahospital transport; therefore, it is important to predict their risk before they leave the emergency department. The existing scoring systems were not developed for this population. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: This study used convenience sampling and continuous enrolment from 1 January, 2019, to 30 June, 2021, and 584 critically ill patients were included. The collected data included vital signs and any condition change during transfer. The STROBE checklist was used. RESULTS: The median age of the modelling group was 74 (62, 83) years; 93 (19.7%) patients were included in the changed group, and 379 (80.3%) were included in the stable group. The five independent model variables (respiration, pulse, oxygen saturation, systolic pressure and consciousness) were statistically significant (p < .05). The above model was simplified based on beta coefficient values, and each variable was assigned 1 point, for a total score of 0-5 points. The AUC of the simplified score in the modelling group was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.682-0.764); the AUC of the simplified score in the validation group (112 patients) was 0.657 (95% CI: 0.566-0.741). CONCLUSIONS: This study preliminarily established a simplified scoring system for the prediction of risk during intrahospital transport from the emergency department to the intensive care unit. It provides emergency nursing staff with a simple assessment tool to quickly, conveniently and accurately identify a patient's transport risk. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study suggested the importance of strengthening the evaluation of the status of critical patients before intrahospital transport, and a simple score was formed to guide emergency department nurses in evaluating patients.

Exploring the core competencies of clinical nurses in chinese tertiary hospitals: a qualitative content analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the changes in social and medical environments and people's health needs, the nursing core competency should be updated and developed promptly. This study aimed to explore the core competencies of nurses in Chinese tertiary hospitals under the new health development strategy. METHODS: Descriptive qualitative research was conducted using qualitative content analysis. 20 clinical nurses and nursing managers from 11 different provinces and cities were interviewed via purposive sampling. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed 27 competencies, which were grouped into three major categories according to the onion model. These categories were motivation and traits (responsibility, enterprise, etc.), professional philosophy and values (professionalism, career perception, etc.), and knowledge and skills (clinical nursing competency, leadership and management competency, etc.). CONCLUSION: Based on the onion model, core competencies for nurses in Chinese tertiary hospitals were established, revealing three layers of core competencies and giving a theoretical reference for nursing managers to conduct competency training courses based on the competency levels.

Predictors of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence among patients with chronic heart failure: a theory-driven cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The factors influencing home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence among patients with chronic heart failure remain unclear. This study aimed to explore predictors of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence in these patients, based on the theory of planned behavior. METHODS: This theory-driven, cross-sectional study used convenience sampling to recruit patients with chronic heart failure undergoing home-based cardiac rehabilitation. Instruments used included the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Adherence Scale, the Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia Heart. Multivariate linear hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine the factors influencing exercise adherence. RESULTS: A total of 215 patients with chronic heart failure undergoing home-based cardiac rehabilitation participated in the study. The overall score for home cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence was (48.73 ± 3.92). Multivariate linear hierarchical regression analysis revealed that age (ß=-0.087, p = 0.012), education level (ß = 0.080, p = 0.020), fear of movement (ß=-0.254, p < 0.001), perceived social support (ß = 0.451, p < 0.001), and exercise self-efficacy (ß = 0.289, p < 0.001) influenced home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence. In the second model, fear of exercise explained 23.60% of the total variance, while perceived social support and exercise self-efficacy explained 26.60% of the total variance in the third model. CONCLUSION: This study found that home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence in patients with chronic heart failure was suboptimal, and identified its influencing factors. Targeted interventions addressing these factors, such as tailored education, support, and addressing fear of exercise, may help improve exercise adherence.

A scale for measuring home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence: a development and validation study.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise are well-established and depend on long-term adherence. However, there is no uniform and recognized cardiac rehabilitation criterion to assess home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence for patients with cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to develop a home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence scale and to validate its psychometric properties among patients with chronic heart failure. METHODS: The dimensions and items of the scale were created based on grounded theory research, literature content analysis, and defined by a Delphi survey. Item analysis was completed to assess the discrimination and homogeneity of the scale. Factor analysis was adopted to explore and validate the underlying factor structure of the scale. Content validity and calibration validity were evaluated using the Delphi survey and correlation analysis, respectively. Reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's α coefficients, split-half reliability coefficients, and test-retest reliability coefficients. RESULTS: A scale covering four dimensions and 20 items was developed for evaluating home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence. The content validity index of the scale was 0.986. In exploratory factor analysis, a four-factor structure model was confirmed, explaining 75.1% of the total variation. In confirmatory factor analysis, the four-factor structure was supported by the appropriate fitting indexes. Calibration validity of the scale was 0.726. In terms of reliability, the Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.894, and the Cronbach's α coefficients of dimensions ranged from 0.848 to 0.914. The split-half reliability coefficient of the scale was 0.695. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the scale was 0.745. CONCLUSION: In this study, a home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence scale was developed and its appropriate psychometric properties were confirmed.

A gene chip study suggests that miR-17-3p is associated with diabetic foot ulcers.

Background of the Study Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are severe effect of diabetes. This research aimed to discover the role of micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA) in treating DFUs involved in maggot debridement therapy (MDT) via a miRNA chip study. A miRNA chip approach was adopted. Patients with diabetes (type 1 or 2) who had at least one-foot ulcer (current or previous) were enrolled in the study. The alterations of miRNA expressions in the granulation tissue during treatment with MDT were measured. Following MDT, the increased expression of miR17-92 was verified in vivo. The miR-17-3p expression increased, and Flk-1 (vascular endothelial growth factor) expression was significantly reduced in patients with DFUs who received MDT (P < 0.01). Results from human umbilical vein endothelial cells that excrete or secrete showed consistency with in vitro findings (P < 0.001, P < 0.05). The overexpression of miR-17-3p demonstrated inhibitory activity on tube formation (P < 0.05). When DFUs were treated with MDT, it revealed that miR-17-3p had a negative regulatory effect on Flk-1.

Maggot debridement therapy stimulates wound healing by altering macrophage activation.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of maggot debridement therapy (MDT) on macrophages during the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). The activation phenotype of macrophages during wound healing following MDT was evaluated using double staining immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, markers associated with macrophage activation were discovered using immunoblotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). During the process of diabetic wound healing following MDT, the presence and over-expression of M2 macrophages were observed, while the under-expression of M1 macrophages was noted. In addition, the activation markers of macrophages exhibited a correlation with the indicated Th1/Th2 cytokines. MDT interventions have the potential to modulate macrophage activity, thereby aiding in the healing of diabetic foot wounds.

The Origin of Solvent Deprotonation in LiI-added Aprotic Electrolytes for Li-O2 Batteries.

LiI and LiBr have been employed as soluble redox mediators (RMs) in electrolytes to address the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction kinetics during charging in aprotic Li-O2 batteries. Compared to LiBr, LiI exhibits a redox potential closer to the theoretical one of discharge products, indicating a higher energy efficiency. However, the reason for the occurrence of solvent deprotonation in LiI-added electrolytes remains unclear. Here, by combining ab initio calculations and experimental validation, we find that it is the nucleophile I O 3 - ${{{\rm I}{\rm O}}_{3}^{-}}$ that triggers the solvent deprotonation and LiOH formation via nucleophilic attack, rather than the increased solvent acidity or the elongated C-H bond as previously suggested. As a comparison, the formation of B r O 3 - ${{{\rm B}{\rm r}{\rm O}}_{3}^{-}}$ in LiBr-added electrolytes is found to be thermodynamically unfavorable, explaining the absence of LiOH formation. These findings provide important insight into the solvent deprotonation and pave the way for the practical application of LiI RM in aprotic Li-O2 batteries.

Circ_0000854 regulates the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through miR-1294 /IRGQ axis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer disease with the second highest mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to play key roles in many tumors, including HCC. However, the function of circ_0000854 in the progression of HCC has not been clarified. METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of circ_0000854, microRNA-1294 (miR-1294) and immunity related GTPase Q (IRGQ) in HCC cells and tissues. Western blot was used for protein expression analysis. Cell processes were detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay, thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry, and wound healing assay. Mechanically, the interaction of miR-1294 with circ_0000854 or IRGQ was notarized by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. The xenotransplantation model was established to study the role of circ_0000854 in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_0000854 and IRGQ were highly expressed in HCC tissues and cells, while miR-1294 was downregulated. Silencing circ_0000854 suppressed HCC cell malignant behaviors, including proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion. Circ_0000854 exhibited sponge effect on miR-1294 and miR-1294 inhibition reversed function of circ_0000854 knockdown. In addition, miR-1294 targeted IRGQ and circ_0000854 sponged miR-1294 to upregulate IRGQ. Overexpression of IRGQ restored miR-1294-induced anti-tumor regulation in HCC cells. Animal experiments confirmed that silencing circ_0000854 inhibited tumor growth and metastasis of HCC via mediating miR-1294 and IRGQ levels in vivo. CONCLUSION: Circ_0000854 accelerated HCC progression via the miR-1294/IRGQ axis, providing a novel regulatory mechanism for HCC pathogenesis.